A letter from Dr.Mads Gilbert to the world

Dearest friends –
The last night was extreme. The “ground invasion” of Gaza resulted in scores and carloads with maimed, torn apart, bleeding, shivering, dying – all sorts of injured Palestinians, all ages, all civilians, all innocent.

The heroes in the ambulances and in all of Gaza’s hospitals are working 12-24hrs shifts, grey from fatigue and inhuman workloads (without payment all in Shifa for the last 4 months), they care, triage, try to understand the incomprehensible chaos of bodies, sizes, limbs, walking, not walking, breathing, not breathing, bleeding, not bleeding humans. HUMANS!
Now, once more treated like animals by “the most moral army in the world” (sic!).

My respect for the wounded is endless, in their contained determination in the midst of pain, agony and shock; my admiration for the staff and volunteers is endless, my closeness to the Palestinian “sumud” gives me strength, although in glimpses I just want to scream, hold someone tight, cry, smell the skin and hair of the warm child, covered in blood, protect ourselves in an endless embrace – but we cannot afford that, nor can they.

Ashy grey faces – Oh NO! not one more load of tens of maimed and bleeding, we still have lakes of blood on the floor in the ER, piles of dripping, blood-soaked bandages to clear out – oh – the cleaners, everywhere, swiftly shovelling the blood and discarded tissues, hair, clothes,cannulas – the leftovers from death – all taken away…to be prepared again, to be repeated all over. More then 100 cases came to Shifa last 24 hrs. enough for a large well trained hospital with everything, but here – almost nothing: electricity, water, disposables, drugs, OR-tables, instruments, monitors – all rusted and  as if taken from museums of yesterdays hospitals.But they do not complain, these heroes. They get on with it, like warriors, head on, enormous resolute.

And as I write these words to you, alone, on a bed, my tears flows, the warm but useless tears of pain and grief, of anger and fear. This is not happening!

An then, just now, the orchestra of the Israeli war-machine starts its gruesome symphony again, just now: salvos of artillery from the navy boats just down on the shores, the roaring F16, the sickening drones (Arabic ‘Zennanis’, the hummers), and the cluttering Apaches. So much made and paid in and by US.
Mr. Obama – do you have a heart?
I invite you – spend one night – just one night – with us in Shifa. Disguised as a cleaner, maybe.
I am convinced, 100%, it would change history.
Nobody with a heart AND power could ever walk away from a night in Shifa without being determined to end the slaughter of the Palestinian people.

But the heartless and merciless have done their calculations and planned another “dahyia” onslaught on Gaza.
The rivers of blood will keep running the coming night. I can hear they have tuned their instruments of death.
Please. Do what you can. This, THIS cannot continue.
Mads
Gaza, Occupied Palestine

 PalMed team continues its work on the ground in Gaza along side the exhausted health care professionals there

PalMed team continues its work on the ground in Gaza along side the exhausted health care professionals there.

Dr Zuhair AlHana, a surgical gynaecologist met with the director of the labour hospital to help coordinating emergency operations there. Dr Muhammad AbuArab, an anaesthetist oversaw the running of the emergency teams in line with European standards.

The Norwagian specialist in war medicine, professor Mads Gilbert ran several surgeries. He had made the observation of increased number of casualties needing emergency amputatios to save lives, indicating the high possibility of use of illegal weapons against civilians.

PalMed Europe convoy has crossed into Gaza on Sunday

PalMed Europe convoy has crossed into Gaza on Sunday.

The convoy is the first since the current war on Gaza that started last week, it consists of specialists in surgery and anesthesia and was dispatcheed to help with the crisis relief efforts in the Gaza strip health system which is struggling to cope with fatalities and casualties resulting from the Israeli onslaught on the strip. The team visited the European Hospital that was targeted by an Israeli air strike earlier last week.

Palmed Europe take this opportunity to thank the Egyptian authorities that facilitated the passage of our team.

HUMANITARIAN & HEALTH CRISIS IN GAZA

With Gaza Strip under siege and bombardment as a result of a war waged against it by the Israli army,

hospitals and health services are suffering from an acute shortage of medicines, staff and equipment whichare required to meet the needs of the growing numbers of sick and wounded innocent civilians, including women, children and the elderly. The latest victims were two disabled children after a vicious Israeli strike on a disabled caring centre.

Dr Abu Nada, from the PalMed office in Gaza, confirmed the situation to be catastrophic, with the health system struggling to cope with the critical flow of casualties, while supplies of medicines, equipment and energy are at a disastrous low.

In response to this humanitarian and health crisis, PalMed Europe will dispatch a medical convoy to the Gaza Strip this weekend, including specialists in surgery and anaesthesia.  The team will leave Europe aiming to enter Gaza through the Rafah Crossing, in anticipation of the Egyptian authorities allowing entry of medicines and emergency medical assistance, as well as exit of the wounded.

The convoy is to be followed by several others in the coming weeks to further help the relief efforts in Gaza.

PalMed has issued an urgent call for its members to help with the campaign, either by volunteering to visit the Strip, or by helping their national team’s campaigns.  Fund raising is also under way to help cover the cost of aid.  Our convoys on the ground in Gaza will keep our concerned members updated with the situation there and will advise on the needs and developments.

We continue to raise public and professional awareness and develop ways to address the emergent needs, whilst calling upon governments and international organisations to respond urgently to the desperate health and humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Together we heal wounds.

PalMed Europe brings together Palestinian health professionals working in Europe, to support the health needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

PalMed Europe Emergency team moved to Gaza

In response to the humanitarian and health crisis in Gaza, PalMed Europe will dispatch a medical convoy to the strip under siege and under fire.

The team will leave Europe aiming to enter Gaza this weekend through Rafah Crossing following the coordination withthe Egyption authorities. It includes specialists in surgery and anesthesia. The convoy is to be followed by several others in the coming weeks to help the rileaf efforts in Gaza. Dr Abu Nada, from PalMed office in Gaza confirmed the situation to be catastrophic with the health sector struggling to cope with the critical flow of casualties while supplies of medicines, equipment and energy at a disastrous low.

PalMed had issued an urgent call for its members to volunteer to help with the campaign, either by volunteering to visit the strip or by helping their national team’s campaigns. Fund raising is also under way to help cover the cost of aids.

Our convoys on the ground in Gaza will keep our concerned members updated with the situation there and will advise us on the needs and developments.

We continue to raise public and professional awareness and identify ways to address the emergent needs.

Together we save lives

PalMed’s third delegation arrived to Gaza

PalMed’s third delegation passed the Rafah Crossing into Gaza today

at the end of four days of waiting. The delegation consists of five specialists in neurosurgery, general medicine, interventional radiology, spinal surgery and  orthopaedic surgery.
The current delegation is joining their PalMed colleagues working alongside their Palestinian colleagues in extremely difficult situation since the start of the war on Gaza.

First organ transplant in Gaza carried out by PalMed surgeons

PalMed surgeons team from the Royal Liverpool hospital carried out Gaza’s first organ transplant a fortnight ago as part of a long-term plan to train local medical staff to perform the surgery, according to The Guardian newspaper.

Two patients underwent kidney transplants at Gaza’s largest public hospital, The Shifa, which often suffers from power cuts and medical supply shortages.

Ziad Matouk, one of the patients, was born with one kidney and was also diagnosed with renal failure several years ago. He said “I cannot express my happiness, I’m proud to have had one of the first transplant operations in Gaza. I want to hug and kiss all the doctors,’ reported The Guardian.

Matouk’s wife donated one of her kidneys in hope of him returning to his job as a falafel vendor in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. Ziad applied to have the transplant in Cairo, however he was rejected as “unsuitable” and was also unable to afford the private fee.

Abdelkader Hammad a doctor at the Royal Liverpool hospital began plans to go to Gaza for the transplants a year ago when he was contacted by an anesthetist at The Shifa hospital who explained the difficulties they faced with dialysis.

The Shifa is forced to rely on generators due to daily power cuts, the anesthetist further explained that spare parts for ageing dialysis machines have also been difficult to import as well as supplies including blood lines, filters and saline solution.

Israel had large restrictions on imports to Gaza from 2007 to 2010, they continue to control the flow of goods in and out of the Palestinian enclave.
There are approximately 500 patients including 40 children who require dialysis two to three times a week at the hospital.

The two patients who were selected for surgery were Mohammed Duhair and Ziad Matouk, both 42 years of age.

The first to undergo the grueling six hour surgery was Duhair who received a kidney donated by his younger brother. He said he was anxious about the surgery and that he hoped he would be able to have a normal life after being reassured by the British surgeons.

Several days after Duhair’s surgery Ziad Matouk underwent the transplant after his wife had surgery to donate her kidney, she said that it was her “fate and destiny” to give her kidney to her loving husband.

Sobhi Skaik, head of surgery at the Gaza hospital said “we are very satisfied with the results, for the patients, it means that their lives are no longer dependent upon machines. Both the surgeons and the patients’ families are very happy.”